A crutch is an orthopedic device that supports a person's weight to facilitate walking when the person has injured a leg or ankle. Typically, a crutch is constructed of one or more pieces of wood or metal, is a fixed length, includes a concave surface upon which the user places their underarm for support and is a fixed size with respect to the length and the distance between the concave, support surface and a handle where the user's hand grips the crutch. One issue that arises with respect to this typical type of crutch is that, although the crutch is a fixed length, people come in a variety of heights and proportions, in other words, crutches of multiple sizes and proportions must be manufactured and individually fitted to specific users both to address differences in height and leg and arm length among users. A second issue is that, as a person walks with a crutch, the force of the crutch striking the ground is transferred to the underarm of the user. The repeated shock associated with the end of the crutch striking the ground may aggravate an existing injury or even cause a new injury.
One device that addresses some of these concerns is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,104,271 (the “Larson” patent). Larson is directed to a crutch that telescopes and enables a user to adjust the length of the crutch to account for the distance between the user's underarm and the ground. However, the Larson crutch does not enable user to adjust the distance between the underarm, support surface and the handle where the user grips the crutch.
The current state of the art does not provide a crutch that is adjustable for users of different heights and proportions and mitigates the affect of the crutch striking the ground. In addition, current technology does not provide a crutch that collapses to a short length to facilitate storage and shipment.